Pale Fire
by heresadumbthingiwrote
Summary: Evelyn liked her role as the older sister of the Ostwick Circle. Which is why she agreed to go to the Conclave. Leading the Inquisition, however, was not in her plans.
1. Chapter 1

'Oh no. I was the youngest of three siblings – the baby of the family. '

'And your brother?'

'He wanted to become a Templar.'

'Ha!'

'Yeah, that dream pretty much disappeared the minute it turned out I was a mage.'

'How did you find out, Inquisitor? '

'I think I was 17'

'No, how?'

'Why so curious, Dorian?'

'Just making conversation. Although you'll admit that you know much more about me than I do about you. '

'True. But you have also lived a much more interesting life.'

'Flatterer. Besides, I am the only good conversation you're going to get while we're stuck here. Unless you want to talk to that Hairy Lummox. '

'Ugh. Or Vivienne. Don't know which would be worse. Ok, I found out when there was a fire in my room. '

'And?'

'And I covered it in three sheets of ice.'

'Ouch.'

'Indeed.'

The tavern was badly lit, and favoured huddling in corners. One was occupied by Evelyn and Dorian, the Inquisition's newest recruit. Evelyn supposed that from a distance, they looked like lovers.

'And was there anyone with you?'

'My oldest sister, Collete. She panicked, naturally.'

'Ah', Dorian grimaced. He heard a couple similar stories at Skyhold. Families turning on children with magical abilities. Evelyn's face, however, had a half formed smile on it.

'After she stopped panicking, she said', Evelyn paused for effect. She used to tell this story a lot in the Circle. 'Well, Evie, pack your bags. You're going to Tevinter'.

'She did not'

'I swear. That's how I knew we were related. She went into the library, and looked in every book to find a connection.'

'And your parents?'

'Caught her writing a letter to a magister'.

'She sounds very headstrong'.

'Oh, yes. She couldn't bear to think of me rotting away in the Circle'.

The sound of Blackwall's heavy metal boots on the hard wood floor stopped the conversation. His hair and beard were drenched as he ordered an ale, and walked towards the whispering pair. Evelyn considered him carefully. She still didn't trust him, despite all the praise he got at Haven. No one who talks that much about dignity and honour actually possesses it. Besides, she hated the Grey Wardens.

'I hope I didn't interrupt the conversation'.

'Not at all – I was just telling Dorian about the Circle in Ostwick.' She turned towards the Tevinter mage. _He was good looking_. A shame she wasn't interested in men. 'My parents were upset, naturally, but what was to be done? They came with me to the Circle, and explained that I had never shown any magical abilities before. Mostly people believed us – the Trevelyans are very closely allied to the Chantry.' The lie was well rehearsed and rolled off Evelyn's tongue mechanically.

'And your siblings', Dorian asked. Evelyn coughed into her ale, and the mage dropped the subject.

'What was life like in the Circle?', Blackwall asked, trying to fill the silence.

'Dull for the most part. I had become, eh, somewhat used to a certain lifestyle so the adjustment was a little rough. Although I didn't find it hard to blend in. You all wear the same clothes, and go through the same routines – after a while, you all look the same.

'I find that hard to believe'. Dorian flashed his magnificent smile.

'Tease. A few resented me because I was allowed to go home every month. Also, because of my talents. A lot of people used me to smuggle out letters and stuff, and I would smuggle in wine. So most were okay with the arrangement'.

'Wasn't that dangerous?"

'Yes. Thank the Maker Templars are thick as shit'.

Dorian laughed. Blackwall scowled. The conversation entered an even rhythm, until Scout Harding came in to inform them that the Bull's Chargers had arrived, and were engaged in a fight with a group of Venatori.

'Great', mumbled Blackhall, his second beer having just arrived. Evelyn smiled – he couldn't be all bad.


	2. Chapter 2

'I am not the leader of the Inquisition, so I don't think I'm authorized to make this decision'.

'You are, Lady Trevelyan. Sister Leliana told me that you were to speak for the Inquisition while you were here', interjected Harding.

'Great', mumbled Evelyn.

'Ha! Someone doesn't like the burden of command, I see'. The Qunari was positively smug. Evelyn put on a plastic smile.

'No, I merely know my place. I would imagine you know that's like, living under the Qu'un.'

'True'. Bull shook his head contemplatively.

'Although, of course under the Qu'un you wouldn't give me the courtesy of being able to express myself, since my mouth would be sewn shut.'

'That is also true', the Bull said pensively.

What a weird Qunari, Evelyn thought. And he's a Ben-Hassrath.

'Anyway, what will it be? Is the Inquisition willing to hire the Chargers?'

Evelyn gave the group a look over. They looked distinctly unclean and unrespectable. She imagined leading them back to Haven and suppressed a smile. It was almost like being back in the Circle. _It was entirely too much like being back at the Circle_.

'Why not?'. This time the smile was genuine. 'We could always do with more people who like fuck shit up'.

Haven was cold and dank and nothing anyone did to make it feel more like home for Evelyn succeeded. The reminder of the first time she experienced the full brunt of her magical abilities gave her a distaste for the cold, as she distinctly remembered the all too solid, shiny sheet of ice covering her bed. In combat, she still relied on ice magic, simply because that was what she was best at, even as it made her fight with a frown on her face. Fire magic she didn't control very well; storm magic was too unpredictable. Having singed off Sera's eyebrows in one particularly unfortunate incident, she was made to promise that she would stick to 'what she knew best'. Being treated as a child only made her retreat further in herself and in the next fight she brutalized a Venatori, which lead to Cassandra making her take a 'break' from her duties.

Mostly Evelyn just wandered the place in her huge coat, and nodded at the various people passing her. 'Herald', some addressed her. 'Lady Trevelyan'. An occasional 'Evelyn'. 'Mage' from one Templar who she then told Cullen to station in the mountains in plain view of the others. The mages 'she', no, 'they', as she corrected everyone, brought back were nicer. Some were fanatics who bothered her a lot, but most were scared and distracted. In all arguments she would point to the hole in the sky, and if that didn't help, she would simply tell people to bother the leaders of the Inquisition. Oh yes, on that point she insisted. She was a simple agent, someone they sent out when there was a rift or a dangerous mission. As far she saw herself, she, Bull, Dorian, Sera, Solas, Varrick and Blackwall were the people Leliana, Cullen, Cassandra and Josephine sent out when regular soldiers would not do. In the evenings she would retreat to the forest and practice her magic with Dorian. As he commented, she was 'very gifted', but 'raw', and 'in need of practice with a good partner', all of which made her roll her eyes, but was also true. Together, they mastered the finer points of combat magic. She was pleased to know that on the theoretical and Spirit front she was far ahead of him (the legacy of rote learning at Ostwick) although he was a much better healer.

'Ok, ok. Would you rather, um, a fully furnished bed or a nice hot bath?'

"Oh Inquisitor, you must be joking, of course the bed. Wouldn't you?"

"I've kinda gotten used to sleeping in various beds'. Josephine blushed. Fuck. That came out wrong. 'I mean, we swapped beds in the Circle a lot'. 'I'll shut up now'. Josephine giggled. It was nice, having someone of the same, well fine, they were quite different, but still, they had similar expectations of how things were supposed to be. On the mundane level, at least.

'Ok, Lady Trevelyan. Would you rather attend one of your grand-aunt's balls or kiss a Templar?'

"Lady Montilyet!"

"You must answer. These are the rules of the game"

"Well, what happens if I don't?"

"You lose your honour"

"And we can't have that"

"Absolutely not. The scandal would eclipse the rift itself."

Long pause. "Attend another summer ball".

"Hmm. I would have thought different"

"Have you tried kissing a Templar, Ambassador? At first they're all like, This is wrong, I am a Templar and you are a Mage, we are two stars destined to never blah blah blah. And then they melt at the first touch, of course and are very into the forbidden fruit, naturally. And then they become very attached, like a sick puppy. Finally, they just mope around a lot, very melancholy, saying things like, Oh but if you could understand the guilt I'm feeling! You are the reason for it! Let me kiss you! But I can't! But I want to! But my duty! And that's all in the first five minutes"

"Is that experience I hear, Lady Trevelyan?"

"Evelyn. And no, but I've seen a lot of Templar Mage relationships. And the one I'm describing is the best way it goes down. I've nursed a lot of broken hears at the Circles, Lady Montilyet"

"Josephine, please. More wine?". Evelyn nodded yes. She found herself spending more and more time with the ambassador, who again, she found coming from a similar angle to her. She liked to joke around, although Evelyn would also be amused how she could elicit at least one outraged "Oh, Inquisitor!" from her, and they spent an hour or so together before heading off to their cabins, exhausted from the day.

"So you nursed a lot of hearts?"

"Is it so hard to believe?"

"Well, you seem quite guarded. Not with me, for which I'm grateful Lady- Evelyn, but with the others."

"Maybe I don't like them"

"Don't say that"

Sigh. "The Circle has a way of making people come together, that's for sure. And after a while I realised that I was the most well adjusted person there. There were a lot of elves, from the alienage, frightened to death. A lot of people from rural areas. And I, well I, just slotted into that older sister role. I was lucky that I had one I could copy'.

"And so you took care of them?"

"Sort of. First Enchantress Lydia was the mother. I was the bad sister that they came to when they got into trouble or needed actual help."

"That sounds like an important role"

"For all the good it did them. I failed them in the end. Just not as badly as Lydia."

Silence hung in the room. Josephine wanted to say something, but found it impossible. Evelyn smiled, "Sorry for that. Would you rather…"


End file.
